Sad News at School

          Over the 5-day fall break our school lost two middle school students in an auto crash.  Also killed was their father and aunt.  Their mother remains in the hospital.  The family was traveling to visit an older child in another town.  These two students were boarders at our school.  Today was a very difficult day as teachers and students were told of the loss.  Please keep our school in your thoughts and prayers.

          Just the day before our break two school children traveling on the same street our school is on were kidnapped.  They do not attend our school.  We heard today they were returned for N1 mil.  The kidnappers were originally after the father and took the children in hopes of getting to the father. http://www.naijaonpoint.com/two-school-children-kidnapped-in-calabar-kidnappers-demand-n30million/

A Trip to the Suburbs

A parent at my school took the first grade teacher and I on a little tour of her old neighborhood where she grew up.  This area is a suburb of Calabar.  I took pictures out the car window while the car was moving.  I was trying my best to be discreet with my camera. On the way, we saw a few of these characters so she pulled over.

She instructed the character not to touch me.  I didn't want to know why.

 When we got back in the car they stood in front of the car and would not let us drive off until we paid them.

Laundry Day

 When people do not have a rack for drying their clothes you will see cloths drying on fences or bushes.  Every part of their laundry will be outside in the front of the house for everyone to see.  I have not seen anyone doing their wash so I do not know if they have a washing machine or not.  My guess is they do it by hand.  We are very spoiled at our compound having both a washer and dryer in each flat now.  There is an old building behind the flats where machines were once set-up to be shared by all the expats.  With all the power outages, we usually just wash every load on the express cycle and then hang our clothes on the rack.  If the power goes out during the load the door is locked and you cannot get your clothes out.

Many people sit outside because it is cooler than in their homes.

 This is a community well which is the water source for the homes in this neighborhood. 

The local school

This house did not fit the norm out here.  I wonder who lives here?

Our driver told us these were milk cows.

Most of the homes had curtains for doors and no glass on the windows.

Single Lane Bridge

 There was a bridge ahead but we turned around here.  I believe we saw this bridge on the boat trip.

I saw a couple turkeys along the side of the road.  Talk about organic!

Our driver's family and the first grade teacher.

The lady who drove us was wearing the jeans.  Her mother had the orange top.  The other ladies were sisters and the children were a niece and two nephews.  I saw her give her sister an envelop of money.  I believe it is traditional when one family member has more they share with their family.  She told us her mother had 15 children and her father had died in 1986.

Rubber Factory

          The first grade teacher and I went with a parent of one of her students yesterday on an outing.  She owns a seamstress shop and was taking us out to Tinapa to purchase fabric for dresses.  On the way, we passed by the rubber tree fields.  She told us her father used to be the rubber factory manager.  On the way back she decided to take us by the factory.  She spoke to the current manager and we received a grand tour.  She also took us by the neighborhood where she grew up and stopped by the compound where her mother and sisters live.  It was a really fun day.  Clint didn't come because he thought we were just getting fabric. 

Almost 1,000 acres of rubber trees

The tree is scored and the rubber sap runs down into the pail. 

Motorcycles are used to gather the rubber sap from the trees.

The rubber sap is dumped into this large vat and the water and rubber begin to separate.

They use the sunshine to dry the rubber.

 

The rubber is sent through a press to further remove the water

The rubber is then dried in a huge oven.

The dry rubber is removed from the oven pans and inspected.

It felt like one of those old rubber erasers and smelled like a hot tire.

The rubber is waiting to be packaged.

The rubber is ready to be shipped all over the world.  Calabar has a major port for shipping.

End of the 1st Quarter

            We are already winding down the first quarter of school.  I have completed my report card testing and I had my assistant complete a reading placement test.  We have 4 out of 11 students who can read at the first grade Read Well curriculum level.  I recently learned we have the first grade curriculum at our school even though they use Storytown so I am going to start using it after our fall break next week.  I wish I had known before this so I could have already started using it.  We already have the students divided up during the small group time but now they will have something to read at their level.

During the Saturday shopping trip we stopped at a new store for someone.  The yard was full of fruit trees.  I asked our teacher from Ghana what each tree was.  He pulled a leaf off a tree and tore it.  He then smelled it and asked me to do the same.  He then asked me what I thought.  It was amazing how strong the scent was.  It smelled like citrus.  He said it was an orange tree.  Then he pointed to the mango tree.  Mango is my favorite fruit so I was really delighted to see a mango tree.  He said it will bear fruit in the spring. 

Orange Tree

Picking Green Coconuts

Mango Tree

The teacher asked the owner of the lot if he could pick a green coconut.  He then took off his shoes and started to climb the tree.  The owner said he would get him a ladder instead for his safety.  He twisted the coconut off the branch rather than using a machete.  He said the green coconuts would be full of coconut water but no meat.  They are used to cleanse the body of toxins.  The coconut water is especially good for kidney stones.  My husband perked up to listen when he heard that.  He has had stones two different times. We learned from another teacher the center of the trunk of a banana tree is also good for kidney stones.

Papaya Tree

 This past week we saw a mouse in our flat.  I was working on the couch and Clint was at the table.  I saw it run from the kitchen through the living room and go under the loveseat in front of the window.  I yelled to Clint and stood up on the couch.  He saw it and went after the broom.  I kept watching the loveseat and didn’t see it come back out.  Clint picked up the wicker loveseat and shook it and looked behind the curtains and couldn’t find it.  I spent the rest of the evening typing while sitting on the back of a dining room chair.  The next day, we purchased a sticky board to catch the mouse.  We put rice and peanut butter on it and the next morning we had our mouse.  The mouse was still alive.  When we got close it wiggled and squeaked.  We didn’t have anything to use to put it out of its misery so Clint asked the guard for assistance.  He took some plastic out of the dumpster and yanked it off the board and tossed it.  He gave the board back to Clint to use again.  One of our neighbors caught five mice and another one just one like us. 

Today the guard came to our door.  He said there was a woman at the gate who wanted to talk to me.  I went out and she asked the guard to give us a minute.  I told her he was my guard and she could speak in front of him.  She wanted money for her son.  She had seen us walking back from the main road where the church bus dropped us off.  I had no idea we were followed.  Thank you for your prayers on our behalf.

I listened to her and then told her I was an honest person and asked that she listen to me also.  I told her many people believe that all Americans are wealthy.  I had to leave my homeland in search of a teaching job to raise the money I need for my own son’s surgery in which insurance would not cover.  I told her God has brought us together to pray for each others sons.  I asked for her hands and I prayed with her to ask God to help our sons with their needs.  We both teared up and I knew she believed me.  I promised to continue to lift her and her son up in prayer and I would like her to pray for my son too.  If you have it in your heart today, will you also pray for both our sons.  I cannot even pronounce the name of her son but I know our heavenly father knows in whom we are requesting prayer for.  Thank you!

Apple Pie

          Tuesday, we finally had the electrical problem worked on in our flat.  The lights had not worked in the second bedroom and all the lights kept going out even though we have the battery inverters.  We were told only the air conditioners and the washer would go out but we had the opposite happen several times.  The inverter would completely drain its charge and then nothing would be on.  My shower handle was also fixed.  The handle was just spinning around and the shower would not turn off.  It was like that for two weeks.  The humidity in our flat was really bad.  The hot water was out too. 

While the maintenance man was here he also installed our mosquito net.  We purchased a king size net in the US and brought it with us.  It hangs from four hooks on the ceiling and some rope so it is long enough.  We have high ceilings in our flat.  It makes it difficult to make the bed.  You have to remember it is there if you get up in the night too or you would pull it all down.  We are getting used to it.  I like that we have almost a guarantee of no more mosquito bites and no lizards or cockroaches crawling on us. I know they have tried because Clint found one next to the bed the other morning.

Our Bed Net

          I made an apple pie.  I promised a pie to our principal.  When we were all living at the guest house he would ask for pie after dinner.  Of course he never got it.  It smelled really good but the crust would not brown because there is no flame in the top of the oven.  I kept checking on it and then the lights went out.  I guess we still have an electrical problem.  The funny thing was the microwave clock was on so I opened the microwave door to see a little in the kitchen.  The refrigerator was off too.  The refrigerator was supposed to be safeguarded by the inverters.  I just wanted to scream.  Thankfully, the new gas range works nicely with or without electricity.  We have to light it the old fashioned way with a match or a lighter.  I told Clint to find me a long neck lighter if he wanted me to use the range.  I gave a piece to several people.  I need to make another one because the word is getting out that I made one and it was good. 

            I found a small plastic table at the market.  I put it in the kitchen to use as extra counter space.  It works nicely.  Now I can wash, rinse, and stack the dishes without having to move pans of hot water back and forth from the sink to the floor in shifts.  We also found some laundry baskets and a little soft pink rug for my bathroom.  It was all a nice birthday present to make my life easier.  My friend Miss Li the first grade teacher made me a rice crispy treat cake.  Clint and I walked to the Chinese bakery for some milk tea and on the way home we bought frozen chocolate milk.  They called it ice cream.  It didn't taste like it but it was fun pretending it was.

My Birthday Cake

            My students love to see pictures of my cat, Jack, in Oregon.  I have a picture on my computer desktop.  I have to use my laptop to play the music for the songs we sing in reading so the students always want to see Jack.  I change the picture once in a while and they just love it.  I have a stuffed animal that looks just like my cat.  I keep it on the couch in my flat.  I brought it to school for the kids to see.  I call him Traveling Jack.  It was so funny they all wanted to give him a hug and kiss.  As a teacher, I know it is best not to share too much about my personal life but they still ask.  I share about Jack and that satisfies them.

            On Friday mornings, I choose a student to pick out the story I will read on the carpet.  I always tell the students it will be someone who was sitting still and listening during the reading lesson.  This past week, one of my little boys became very angry because he was not chosen and said in a very clear voice, “I am going to tell my dad and get a gun and shoot you all dead.”  Teachers take those kinds of threats serious even from an elementary student.  I stood up, took his hand, told the aide to take over and marched him straight to the principal’s office.  His parents were called to pick him up and he was suspended.  I did not say a word to the other students.  I was hoping they had not heard all of what he had said.  After lunch several students asked why he did not return.  I told them sometimes people say things they wish they had not.  I then said we would listen to his apology to the class and forgive him on Monday.
          A teacher from Ghana taught us how to crack a coconut.  He grew up in a coconut grove.  We used the coconut water in a fruit smoothie.  It was fantastic.

A Coconut Cracking Lesson

Dance Festival

          Three weeks ago we purchased VIP tickets to attend the first annual Calabar Dance Festival.  The tickets were N5000 or $35.  We were promised front row seats with refreshments.  Other tickets were N2000 or N500.  We have discovered everything runs on a different time frame here than it does in the US and never assume what you are told is really how things will go.  Our tickets actually had last Saturdays date but the day before we were told, "no that was just the first competition and Oct 6 was the real date".  Luckily, we were still available for the new date.  I was worried we would arrive and be turned away with the wrong tickets.
          Our tickets said it started at 4 pm and the flyers all said 2 pm.  The school van driver was to pick us up at 1 pm.  At 1 pm we learned he was picking up the boarding students so our principal drove us to the Cultural Center.  The venue was a very nice big building with a lot of glass in the foyer.  The grounds had several interesting sculptures.  Since there were only two other vehicles in the parking lot we assumed we had arrived too early so we walked around a bit first.

Three Cultures Sharing a Moment

A man at my school has these same skin etchings.  They kind of look like cat whiskers.

          It was really warm so we headed into the building and was greeted by a wave of heat and no lights.  We stood by an open window for awhile people watching but by 3 pm we were ready to sit down.  The humidity made us really uncomfortable.  We saw a delivery of a barrel of gasoline in a wheel barrow so we had some hope that maybe it was for the generator.  I noticed the guards at the auditorium door had let some people in so we went over to ask if we could go in too.  They said it was fine but it was very dark.  One of us had a phone with a flashlight so we walked really slow down the stairs to the front and sat down right when the lights came on.
          With the lights came also blaring music in a Reggae/Rap style, strobe lights and a laser light show for the next two hours.  It was not the show it was just going on while the stage crew set-up.  I was getting a terrible headache so I just scooted down in my chair and closed my eyes.  Eventually we felt the fans come on but it still remained very warm.  At about 5 pm we were offered bottled water, Orange Crush or a pineapple juice box.  I think this was our VIP refreshments because only the first three rows of people were offered it.  Little by little people trickled in and finally about 6 pm the Governor's wife arrived and the show immediately started.  Her kids and nannies arrived about 30 minutes before she did. 

          First we watched a couple high school dance teams and then the ten dance teams who were the finalists from last weeks competition.  They were all a combination of street dancers and traditional Nigerian dance.  We even saw a little Michael Jackson in one of the presentations.  Next, we saw a dance drama of The Prince of Egypt.  It was like a whole show all by itself.  Finally, the five dance finalists performed and a winner was announced.  There were monetary prices for the top three.

This was a ballerina in the dramatic dance version of The Prince of Egypt.

          The governor's wife had financed this whole event so she had a speech coming up next according to the program.  She is a lovely lady and I know her talk would have been inspirational but we also know her to be long winded so we got up quickly and headed for the exit.  It had been a long afternoon and evening and since the refreshments did not include food we were all really hungry.  As we started up the stairs through the auditorium there were a lot of angry people out of their seats because of the competition results.  Two security guards spotted us and escorted us all the way to our car.  We had been filmed several times sitting in our seats before the show began.  It happens to us a lot.  I am assuming it is for marketing to make the event or venue appear to be more international than it really is. 

          Overall, it was a good show and I was glad I went but I was ready for some peace and quiet by the time I got home.  We did go out to dinner also.  The restaurant serves Lebanese food and I saw a number of Caucasian people in there.  I could even say more Caucasians in one place than I have seen in over a month.  

          Outside the restaurant a craftsman was selling his African art.  It was the first time I had seen any since the trip to the Tinapa Resort.  I found an elephant necklace for my son's best friend's mom.  She loves elephants.  I know Tim spends a lot of time there.  Her and I shared a tearful moment before I left when she said she would watch over him for me.  I couldn't live this far away from my family if I did not have a great support system back home.

Life in our Flat

            We have been in our flat now for a little over a week.  If feels really good to get settled.  There are a few maintenance issues we are still waiting on but I would much rather wait here than spend even another day in the guest house.  You have no idea how important your independence and privacy are until you don’t have it for a month.  There is an electrical problem in the second bedroom, where Clint uses the wardrobe for his things, so the lights are not working and the light in his bathroom goes on and off randomly too.  He showered in the dark this morning.  It was a reminder of how bad it was in the guest house with the frequent power outages.  In our compound we have either the regular electricity, the generator or the battery inverters to supply us so we rarely are completely without lights anymore.

The front of our flat

             Our living room furniture here looks like wicker but it is plastic with cushions.  For the average American, like us, who spends way too much time on the couch this is not a comfortable arrangement.   We take turns sitting on the couch or the loveseat.  Most of our evening is spent working on school work so Clint has also taken over the dining room table.  I don’t mind because that gives me the couch and I can put my feet up.  The little coffee table is just large enough to fit my laptop too if I want to use it like a desk.

            We have a nice TV provided for us but to have the satellite dish with the best service it will cost $200 and then a hefty monthly fee after that.  We are experimenting with downloading some of our favorite TV shows from the Internet instead and then connecting it to the TV to watch them.  Clint has taken on this job.  Believe me it is a second job doing it.  It took two full days to download the NCIS season premiere.  It was so fun watching it.  Since then we have discovered my new mobile Internet stick is faster so he can get a couple shows downloaded in a day. 

Living Room

            We are trying to get used to grocery shopping and cooking here.  Unfortunately, our stove has not yet been replaced.  It had a gas leak.  We have one small electric burner right now and it only works when the regular electricity is on or the generator.  The generator only runs from 7 pm to 11 pm when the electricity is off.  What this means is we generally do not have a way to cook until after 7 pm.  Clint found a nice wok at the open air market.  It works so much better than the little pans the school provided.  I searched high and low for hot pads because the pans have metal handles.  I even tried to find just cotton diapers I could fold and sew together.  My principal’s wife heard I had been looking and gave me a couple extra she had brought.  
            Washing dishes is a big chore here.  We have one very small sink.  It is about the size of a bathroom sink.  There is only cold running water in all the sinks in the flat.  The only hot water is in the showers.  The showers have a tank-less water heater that hangs above the shower.  I was boiling water to wash the dishes but with all the power outages it was difficult to wait to wash them when you could get the water hot on the stove.  Clint volunteered to haul hot water in a bucket from his shower for me.  Now I can get them done a lot quicker.  There is just enough room for the dish drainer next to the sink.  The sink is rusty and the back corner of the sink cabinet is not secure so the sink hangs low in the corner.  I use a plastic pan in the sink to wash in and then remove it and place the pan on the floor to rinse the dishes.  I need to find bleach so I can start rinsing them in a little bleach water.  I worry about using the water since it is not safe to drink.

Our kitchen

Our produce holder

            We purchased what we thought was a blender but it turned out to be some kind of dry ingredient food grinder.  It didn’t work well at all.  We are going to try and take it back to exchange for a real blender if we can find one or a blanket.  We did buy one blanket but surprisingly we need another one.  It gets really hot and humid without the air conditioner on but with it on it gets too cold sometimes.  We cannot seem to adjust it for both of us to sleep comfortably.  It doesn’t help that it sits right over us.

            Our washing machine is also a dryer all in one.  With the crazy power fluctuations it stops and starts over every time so you constantly have to watch it.  Only the refrigerator and a few plug-ins work when we only have the battery inverters for power.  The machine is not vented like a dryer is in the States so when it washes and then dries the clothes take a long time to dry and then they still feel like they were in a steam bath.  We purchased a clothes drying rack to hang our clothes on.  I think it works much better than wasting all that time in the machine.  An average load is almost 4 hours and when you add the multiple restarts it gets pretty ridiculous.

Washer/dryer and battery inverters

            We found a foam pad for our bed.  I was so thankful after suffering on the guest house bed for a month.  When we opened the box there was a used slip in it.  I think it was a returned item in the US and was purchased and resold here in Nigeria.  The pad was obviously rerolled and taped and the box did look like it was retaped too.  We paid a lot for it so it was pretty frustrating to get somebody else’s returned bed pad but I have to remind myself I am not in the States and I need to just be glad I have it.  I try not to think about the possibility of bed bugs.

We have wardrobes instead of closets

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            Each day we are learning new things to try and adjust to life over here.  Overall, we are enjoying our time in Nigeria and trying to take advantage of seeing new things whenever possible.